


Thankful

by queen_scribbles



Series: 73 Minutes [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 17:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17027214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles





	Thankful

 

“I still think you’re pulling my leg.”

Tel grinned as he shook his head. “Nope. Honest to anything, Els, it’s a tradition.”

Elara raised an eyebrow and gave him a skeptical look. “Then why haven’t I heard about it before now, darling?”

“Okay, so it’s more a Corellian tradition than a Republic one,” he allowed. “But it _is_ a tradition. Families get together, eat ridiculous amounts of food, and focus on the things they’re thankful for. And even if none of us actually _live_ on Corellia anymore, my parents still make enough food to feed a family twice our size an’ Silver and I both do our best to show up. I haven’t been able to make it the last few years ‘cause of where I’ve been posted, but this year we don’t have an assignment, so I can show up, tease my sister, compliment my mother’s cooking, an’ introduce ‘em to my gorgeous wife.”

She smiled fondly at him for that, fingers picking at a hangnail. “Flatterer.” 

“Is it flattery if it’s true?” Tel shot back. “You’re gorgeous, Els, and if I can pick up on that with only one eye, I imagine it’s even more obvious to the rest of the galaxy.”

Elara let her head fall back against his shoulder and sighed. “I do think it still counts as flattery, yes. But it’s nice to be flattered on occasion, so... don’t feel obligated to stop.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You’re gorgeous, and smart, and kind, and have excellent taste in men. How’s that?”

“Quite good. Though the last one sounds more like complimenting yourself.” Her small smile was mischievous as she turned sideways. “But it’s also still true; I have _excellent_ taste in men.” She leaned in for a kiss.

Tel chuckled, one hand curling around the back of her neck as he obliged. “Thank you. But back to the topic at hand, do you want to go? I’d love for you to meet my folks, but if you’d rather wait for something more low-key than a holiday...”

“Oh, no, no, I’d love to go,” Elara assured him, her thumb rubbing absently along his jaw. “I need to meet the people responsible for raising such a _fantastic_ soldier, and I wouldn’t dream of depriving you of your chance to interrogate your sister’s husband, make sure he’s good enough for her.”

He laughed. “I’ve told you before how much I love you, right?”

“You have.” She leaned close and whispered, “But it never hurts to hear it again.”

“Elara Airen, I love you with every fiber of my being.” Tel kissed her forehead. “And more than I can put into words.”

“Mmm, I love you, too,” she said softly, cupping his jaw with one hand and pulling him in for a kiss.

~~*~~

In keeping with the saying about the best laid plans, the holo beeped two days before they were planning to start for Tel’s parents’, and Garza sent them on an urgent extraction mission at the opposite end of the galaxy; a critical spy wavering on the edge of being discovered. They needed the best to get him out, in case the worst happened.

Tel sighed and ran one hand through his hair as he turned off the holo. “Whaddya think are the odds we can go, pull this guy out, and still make it to my folks’?”

“It’s not going to happen, sir,” Elara replied sympathetically. “It’s take us until that day just to get where we’re going. I’m sorry.”

“This spy better still be alive when we get there,” he grumbled as he headed for the cockpit. “And have information that could end the war or something.”

“It must be important, sir, or General Garza wouldn’t be sending Havoc Squad to handle the extraction,” she pointed out, following him.

Tel growled as he punched in the coordinates. “I really hate it when you’re all logical and most likely right.”

“Not enough to stop you from marrying me,” Elara pointed out, hands resting on his shoulders. “I can meet your parents some other time, and your sister. What better way to show we’re thankful for the freedom the Republic represents than by helping to further that freedom?”

“...I hate you,” Tel muttered, the half-smile tugging at his lips making a liar of him. “Can we just send Jorgan and Forex to handle this or something?”

“You know the answer to that.”

He huffed an annoyed sigh. “Fine. Off we go.”

~~*~~

The extraction went smoothly--almost suspiciously so--until a surface-to-air rocket slammed into their shuttle three minutes out from the spaceport. Tel didn’t even try to maintain professional decorum, swearing up a blue streak as he struggled to land the crippled shuttle in a way that wouldn’t kill them on impact. He was mostly successful.

He couldn’t stop the small craft from nosediving into one of the ravines that cris-crossed the planet’s surface, couldn’t stop it from plowing an impressive furrow through the dirt, but he did keep it from slamming into the ravine wall with enough momentum to kill.

“You both alive back there?” he groaned, rubbing a sore wrist and checking that he could still feel his toes.

There wasn’t an immediate answer, but as adrenaline surged and he fought with the seat restraints, Elara called up, “Alive yes. Conscious, I’m afraid not.”

“Damn.” The restraints finally clicked open and Tel very carefully, ignoring the whine of damaged tech coming from his knee, made his way to the back of the shuttle. “How bad?”

“I think it’s just a run of the mill bump on the head,” Elara reported, looking up from her examination of the spy and wincing. “Nice shiner, darling.”

“I could say the same,” he retorted with a wry smile as he felt gingerly around his eye. “So... I guess we have to call for help.”

“Preferably Havoc Squad, sir,” she nodded, unfastening the spy’s restraints and laying him on the floor. “Given the timing of that attack, I have my suspicions the Empire has spies of its own in the government.”

“As you wish,” Tel said. It was a good idea, and just for added security, he used their private comms. Jorgan responded promptly and Tel filled him in on the situation. “Alright,” he relayed to Elara, “it’s gonna take them a little while to gather the gear they’ll need and get over here, but they’re on the way.”

“In other words, all we can do is wait?”

“Exactly,” he sighed as he sat next to her. “This is not how I wanted to be spending today....”

“I know.” Elara reached over to link her fingers between his. “But... if it’s a family tradition.... wouldn’t you and I count as a family, now that we’re married?”

“Yeah....”

“I know we don’t have the abundance of food, and the rest of your family isn’t here, but couldn’t we still dwell on things we’re thankful for?”

Tel stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “It can’t hurt. We’ll just have to keep an ear out and hope rescue gets here before the bad guys.”

“Excellent point. I’ll start, then. I’m thankful to be a Republic citizen.” She smiled.  “I had no idea how long the process was going to take, but I thought I had significantly longer to wait than I actually did.” 

“Now how am I supposed to follow that?” he teased, squeezing her hand. “I’m thankful for your conscience and your smarts, one for leading you to defect and the other for enabling it to actually happen.”

“I’m thankful for how accepting you were from the start. Not many commanders would have so easily accepted a former Imperial, and it was such a relief.” Elara looked down at their joined hands and her smile widened.

“I’m thankful to the former Havoc Squad for defecting,” Tel deadpanned. “So that I had to rebuild the unit in the first place. We wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“Well, then, I’m thankful Colonel Gann was an uncooperative twit, so we got to work together and you were favorably disposed towards the idea of my joining you.”

“I’m thankful for my family and the anticipation of introducing you to them.”

“I’m thankful for Aleksei and everything you’ve done for him. And your sense of humor.”

Tel shifted and pulled her to sit in his lap. “Els? I’m _most_ thankful for you.”

“Oh, drat, you beat me to it,” Elara huffed in mock exasperation, finger sliding into his hair. “I am equally, if not more, thankful for you.”

“Not possible,” Tel argued playfully, arms settling around her waist. “I’m the most thankful anybody’s ever been in the whole history and future of the galaxy for you, and that your taste in men runs towards _handsome risk-taker with a heart of gold_.”

“Handsome?” she giggled as she rested her forehead against his.

“Your word, gorgeous, not mine. Remember?”

She pursed her lips in thought. “I believe I do. But I think invoking the history and future of the galaxy counts as cheating.”

“It’s not in the rules,” he whispered. “I checked.”

“Mm. Well, in that case...” She kissed him. “We’ll just have to crown you the winner.”

~~*~~

In the end, it took Jorgan and the others almost an hour to effect a rescue, mostly because the shuttle’s beacon had been damaged in the crash, so they had to physically examine each ravine along the general flight path. It was a close call with avoiding enemy forces, but they got away free and clear.

While it hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped it would, Tel would have been lying to say he was completely dissatisfied with the day’s events. They’d served the Republic, dealt a blow to the Empire, and in their own small way dwelt on the good things in their life.

He couldn’t really ask for more than that.


End file.
